Tuesday, February 28, 2017

New Orleans: We Welcome Everyone

New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation (NOTMC) and members of the New Orleans community gathered together during Mardi Gras 2017 to create a tourism video letting potential visitors know that New Orleans welcomes everyone.

If there ever was a celebration to honor diversity and equality, it is Mardi Gras New Orleans. To emphasize this important message that New Orleans is ‘always open’, New Orleans tourism joined people from all over the community at New Orleans’ famous Bourbon and St. Ann streets to march together in its first-ever Reverse Parade.

Through word of mouth, some four hundred citizens gathered and volunteered their time to create a message of diversity and equality. Donning full make-up, Mardi Gras garb, beads, or just plain clothes, the New Orleans community and its supporters marched backwards in a symbolic gesture shedding colorful clothing and masks along the way. Everything stopped, quiet ensued, then a flag appeared stating “We Are Never Going Back.” Music filled the streets as participants marched forward in celebration.

“New Orleans has a history of welcoming all people all the time,” said Mark Romig, President and CEO of New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation (NOTMC). “The amount of excitement and numbers of citizens who came to participate in the parade and film is a testament to the city’s determination to never relinquish its achievements in human rights.”